1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a mobile terminal, and particularly, to a slide type mobile terminal.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, a terminal may be classified into a mobile (portable) terminal and a stationary terminal according to a moveable state. The mobile terminal may be also classified into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to a user's carriage method.
As functions of the terminal become more diversified, the terminal can support more complicated functions such as capturing images or video, reproducing music or video files, playing games, receiving broadcast signals, and the like. By comprehensively and collectively implementing such functions, the mobile terminal may be embodied in the form of a multimedia player or a device.
Various attempts have been made to implement complicated functions in such a multimedia device by means of hardware or software. For instance, a User Interface (UI) environment is provided in a mobile terminal to enable a user to easily and conveniently search for or select a desired function among available function.
As the mobile terminal is considered as a personal belonging, form factors become diverse for a user's easy selection according to a personality. The mobile terminal includes a typical bar type in which an input/output unit and a display are arranged on one body, a folder or swing type in which one body is open or closed by being rotated with respect to another body, or a slide type in which one body is open or closed by being slidably moved with respect to another body.
Among the various types, the slide type is being spotlighted owing to a simple opening operation, and easy recognition since a display is always exposed to outside of the mobile terminal. The slide type of mobile terminal is mounted with a slide module, a means for connecting a front body to a rear body so as to be slidably moveable. This slide module is required to maintain a mechanical rigidity against repeated sliding operations, and to minimize degradation of the appearance due to parts exposed to the outside when a sliding operation is repeatedly performed.
In order to enhance usability of a numeric keypad in a call mode, and in order to facilitate input of characters, proposed is a form factor of the slide type of mobile terminal. The form factor allows the mobile terminal to be slid not only in one direction, but also in horizontal and vertical directions for utilization of a QWERTY keypad. However, in this case, the mobile terminal may have a thick thickness due to designs emphasized to provide a sufficient rigidity.